


Lucky

by aflawedfashion



Category: Snowpiercer (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25943491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aflawedfashion/pseuds/aflawedfashion
Summary: Melanie learns that Bennett was injured and goes to his side.
Relationships: Melanie Cavill/Bennett Knox
Kudos: 22





	Lucky

“This is incredible.” Lilah ran her perfectly manicured fingers over the delicate plants that surrounded them. Melanie smiled politely, and Jinju bit her lip to conceal a scowl as Lilah added, “to think it takes so much science just to make our dinner,” and plucked a leaf from one of the plants.

Jinju flinched, her scowl intensifying. She was seconds away from ripping Lilah’s hands away from the plants, so Melanie rushed forward. “Incredible, yes, but also quite fragile.” She wrapped her arm around Lilah’s shoulders and whisked them into the nearest passageway. “Every berry and every leaf is a piece of a meticulously maintained ecosystem.” 

“It’s lovely,” Lilah said to Jinju. “The work you all do is astounding. Truly, you should be proud.” 

“Thank you,” Jinju said before stumbling back as a brakeman barged into the passageway. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” she shouted before noticing the blood staining his sleeve and the dirt smudged across his skin and uniform, and her expression grew concerned.

Melanie grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks, her eyes scanning the length of his body, searching for a sign of injury as she asked, “what happened?” The last thing she needed was a medical disaster.

“Oh, right, this.” He flashed them an embarrassed smile, as if he had forgotten he looked like an extra in a disaster film. “Just a little accident with one of the engineers. Got himself into a bit of a scrape.”

“Is everything ok?” Melanie asked.

“Oh, fine, no need to worry.” He dismissed her concern with a wave of the hand. “Looks worse than it is. It took a little creative maneuvering, but we got the man unstuck and got him to the doc who says he’s going to be back on his feet in no time. No permanent damage to the man and no damage to the train at all.”

“Which engineer?” Melanie asked.

“The, uh, the tall thin one with the accent, you know...” he waved his hand in a circular motion, trying to come up with the name. “That one.”

“Bennett?” Jinju asked.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Nice guy, but apparently he needs a lesson in handling a wrench. Nearly lost a finger.”

Melanie flinched, wishing, not for the first time, that every move she made wasn’t watched. She quickly calmed her expression, but her concern only grew stronger as she stared at the man. No one ended up looking like that without something being seriously wrong.

“Hey, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to go get cleaned up,” he said.

“Of course. Go ahead.” Melanie motioned for him to continue on his way. “And thank you for your assistance.” 

“Anything for one of Mr. Wilford’s best,” he said before scurrying down the corridor.

“Such a shame.” Lilah shook her head, a pained expression on her face. “I so rarely think about the type of work these men do to keep the train running,” She glanced between Jinju and Melanie. “You two must be so pleased to work up here, away from the danger.” 

Melanie nervously folded her arms, forcing a smile as she said, “Always,” and fought the adrenaline wave that insisted she escape this inane tour and check on Bennett.

“Now come,” Jinju said, taking the lead from an extremely distracted Melanie. “Let’s visit the aquarium. I have young angelfish that you can be the  _ very first  _ passenger to see. They’re gorgeous.” 

“Oh,” Lilah cooed, her ego properly stroked. “I’d love that.”

Melanie absentmindedly trailed behind Jinju and Lilah like an obedient robot, her racing thoughts focused on Bennett. He almost lost a finger? What the hell was he doing? And what exactly was this brakeman’s idea of ‘fine?’ Did fine mean that Bennett sustained no major injuries or was fine simply code for anything less than dead? Everyone had a different scale, and Melanie had no way of knowing this man’s.

“Mel,” Jinju whispered over her shoulder, snapping Melanie out of her thoughts. “Go. I’ve got this,” she mouthed before resuming her discussion with Lilah.

Melanie hesitated. Her absence would be noticed, but if she could trust anyone to cover for her, it was Jinju. “Thank you,” she whispered before turning in the other direction, walking on the balls of her feet until the click of her heels was safely out of Lilah Folger’s earshot. 

She marched through the train wearing the expression that earned her a coldhearted reputation, but kept people from talking to her when she had more important things to do than listen to their trivial complaints. Their opinions about her attitude didn’t bother her. In fact, she found the caution they displayed in her presence to be highly useful.

“Melanie,” the doctor said, rising from her seat with a furrowed brow as Melanie entered without warning. “What are you doing here?” 

“Mr. Wilford heard about an accident with one of the engineers and sent me to check on him.” Melanie held her chin high and straightened her jacket. “He worries.”

“Mr. Wilford is such a kind man,” she said. “But no need to worry. He’s fine.” 

“Good.” Melanie nodded, her relief undercut by the knowledge that people tended to lie to her about anything that might upset Mr. Wilford. Like finding out one of his highly trained engineers might be less than fine. “May I see him?” 

“Of course.” The doctor motioned for Melanie to follow her into a room in the back. “Right this way.”

She opened the door to reveal Bennett lying on a thin hospital bed, staring at the ceiling like it held the secrets of the universe. Melanie hadn’t seen Bennett this out of it since the night they got high after digging into a bag of contraband she confiscated from a couple of teenagers, promising not to tell their parents as long as they handed it over.

“Mr. Knox,” she said, her eyes drifting to his bandaged hand and bruised forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, Ms. Cavill.” He smiled a bit too broadly as he turned his attention to her. “Your doctor has given me the good drugs.”

“I see that.” Melanie turned to the doctor and asked, “Will his recovery take long?” as Bennett kept his goofy, drugged gaze focused on her.

“Shouldn’t,” she said. “I’d expect him back to work in no time.” 

As the doctor recapped Bennet’s injuries, Melanie touched her knuckles to Bennett’s hand, the most affection she could show him outside of the engine. 

Melanie Cavill, head of hospitality, could easily be friends with an engineer. She could even be fucking an engineer. Afterall, she knew everyone who mattered, but Melanie Cavill, Mr. Wilford herself, had too many secrets to keep and couldn’t risk any cracks in her identity. 

She could already imagine Ruth pulling her aside with a raised eyebrow and piercing questions about her engineer friend. Ruth would be thrilled to see Melanie find someone, but however well-intentioned, she’d get too close, forcing Melanie to lie about how she met Bennett, about their first kiss, about everything. So, to the public, Bennett had to be an acquaintance, hardly more than a stranger. Not even a friend.

\--

Late that night, as the train slept, Melanie pressed her hand to the scanner outside the infirmary and entered the dark, empty waiting room. She carried her shoes in hand, her jacket unbuttoned after a long day. 

As she slipped into Bennett’s tiny room, he turned to her and smiled. “What are you doing here?” 

She returned his smile, sliding into the chair beside his bed with an exhausted sigh. “I wanted to talk to you, see how you’re feeling.” 

They normally spoke every night when she returned to the engine. Some nights they only said a few words. Other nights they spent hours talking. But no matter how brief, it was always a highlight of her day, her moment of freedom. No makeup, no uniform, no lies. So, instead of returning to the engine without him, she found herself at his bedside.

“I’ve been better, but,” Bennett lifted his bandaged hand, “I still have all my fingers, so I’m feeling pretty lucky, and the drugs are wearing off so I can think straight again.” 

“Apparently, you were extremely lucky.” She took his unbandaged hand in her own, caressing it with her thumb. “I was worried about you.” 

“Don’t be.”

“Then tell me what exactly happened so I can stop.” 

“No way.” He shook his head. “It’ll make me look like a total buffoon.”

She laughed and brushed the hair away from the bruise on his forehead. “You know those are my favorite stories.” 

“Yes, I do.” He nodded. “And that’s why I know you’ll hold it over my head for the rest of my life.” 

“I won’t,” Melanie insisted. 

“Bullshit,” he said through a grin.

“Fine, I will, but if you tell me what happened to you, I’ll tell you who rescued me the time I hooked my heel in a grate, fell, and got tangled in an angry bundle of cords. Then we’ll be even.” 

“A true story?” 

“Absolutely.”

“Why have you not told me about this before?” 

“Because it was incredibly humiliating, and you will only hear about it now if you tell me what humiliating thing you did to nearly lose a finger.”

“All right, my curiosity is piqued,” he said. “You have yourself a deal.”

“Good.” Melanie scooched her chair to the side, leaning back and propping her feet up on Bennett’s bed. “Now start talking.”


End file.
